Q: The car cranks but occasionally wouldn't start
Hi, I am having serious startup problems with my car. I took it to the shop as well as to the dealership and I still have the problem. The car would crank but occasionally wouldn't start up. Sometimes it would turn over completely while other times, the engine couldn't be started. They kept telling us it is the battery so we finally had it replaced. After a couple of days that I wasn't driving the car, the battery was dead and had to be jump-started. I had to take it to the dealer again. They had timing belt and cam sensor replaced. Nevertheless, the issue with the startup persisted. It would crank but wouldn't turn over. After trying it eventually would. I need some advice on what to check next and solve this issue permanently. Thanks.
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If the battery is going dead after a couple of days then you have an issue with something drawing the battery down. A battery that is low may not be able to start the engine since the starter will take most of the power and the fuel pump and ignition system will not get enough power.
You need to find out the cause of the draw in the system. The alternator may be shorted or the antitheft may be doing it. If the antitheft is causing this, the no start will have the light on when trying to start it. I recommend having a mechanic inspect your car’s starting problem to see if the antitheft module is intermittently not disabling the system.
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